Training Log Archive: Bash

There is so much beautiful snow that we invited GYaneff to join us for a Big Ski Expotition. We parked a car at Albion Hills and started with a loop of the Red Trail. For the first couple of kilometers, conditions were about as nice as they ever get at Albion, then we came upon the broken-down groomer. After that, it was still good but we were on yesterday's tracks so the trail was a little more chewed up. GYaneff had never skied on groomed trails before so it was a new experience to be able to push a little harder.

We left Albion near the Tea Cup trail and got onto the rail trail for a kilometer. Then we had to be sneaky and take off our skis to bushwhack around the fence into the back of Reddington golf course. After skiing along a few rolling fairways covered with 30+ cm of powder, we entered Palgrave East and did a good portion of the old Red Trail, including the northeast section that has been closed to skiers to keep out mountain bikers. (Don't ask.)

We crossed Duffy's Lane into Palgrave West at the Bruce Side Trail, then bushwhacked through the back of K-Bash Woods and Wheelie Woods, eventually hitting our trail from yesterday near VO2Max's Skating Pond. We did some more powder skiing on the Wheelie Back Fields before rejoining the Charlevoix Loop, then back to our place on 'Bent's commuting trail.

A little more than a half-marathon with a mix of groomed trail, powder, bushwhacking, open fields and only 3 road crossings. It was farther than GYaneff had skied before so he was pretty excited. We were excited too since it's not often that the snow is good enough to do this. Last winter we didn't get to do this route at all. Lunch and cookies afterward tasted soooo good.

Tired! But good tired.

Yahoooo!!! Brittany Webster, Caledon native and former Tree Hugger racer, has been named to Canada's Olympic cross-country ski team once again.

After hunkering down last night during a blizzard that closed a number of roads, 'Bent and I went skiing around Palgrave West in fresh powder. Lots of trailbreaking, weaving around fallen branches, and bushwhacking. The snowy forest was beautiful, although there was a lot of creaking when the wind got gusty. This would have been great Snowgaine training except we aren't doing it this year. Maybe I should put out some flags for 'Bent for a mini-Snowgaine close to home!

We found these tracks and spent a few minutes trying to figure out what animal it was. I said it had to have a big tail that it was dragging, and 'Bent opined that it looked to be about the size of a badger.



We got our answer about 10 m down the trail! Boy, this little guy is fast and efficient at killing trees. We watched him for a few minutes, and he could munch away huge patches of bark in no time.



Five weeks after the ice storm, the lawyers have finally started worrying about our safety. The Palgrave Forest and Wildlife Area is now officially closed so I guess we can't sue if a branch falls on us. Not that we ever would have!

The whole enchilada.

With a wind chill of -27C, I needed to bundle up a little more today! This was my first run around the block in a long time - and also my last one for awhile. It was fun but sketchy with the steep snowbanks, narrow roadway and hazard trees on Humber Station and parts of Duffy's Lane. Other than that, it was amazing to be out in the sunshine and brisk wind. The north part of Duffy's Lane is closed in winter so it was like slogging through a snowy field.

I took a 5-minute walking break after 40 minutes to assess how my foot felt and give it a break since this was my longest run in awhile. I made a couple of small detours to chat with a guy about fat bikes, pick up someone's garbage bin that had blown away and talk with a farmer - and then, of course, I was so close to 10K that I had to top it up so that Double_Downon11 wouldn't make fun of me. ;)

It's not usually a good idea to do a workout at the hottest time of day but sometimes that's what fits in your schedule . By managing your effort and making good hydration and clothing choices, a mid-day workout can help your body with heat acclimation. So even though the temperature soared to -16C, I figured it was worth going out.

I skied the Albion Hills Red Trail. Slow skis (no glide) but lots of fun. The AH team has worked hard to clear many dozens of broken trees from the trails. Even though I'd dressed for the heat, I had to take off my jacket so I was down to only two layers on top (medium and expedition weight). Hardly anyone was around, and there was so much sun that I even showed a little skin.

Hard Core Live with Caron.

C3 Yoga - a strength and balance oriented class without much rest. I was going to do some physio tonight but the core and yoga classes covered most of what I needed to do.

Here's a trend I'd rather not see catch on! Although it may increase participation, I suppose. The first coed naked yoga studio has opened in New York City.

Tag line: "Downward dog just got a lot more awkward."

"Have I been shot? A Guide for Runners and Joggers"
With a handy flow chart.
http://www.runnersworld.com/fun/have-i-been-shot?c...

I'm feeling the pain so I'm going to log a small amount of this! It's been a busy 24 hours of snow shovelling and furniture rearranging. Next week my parents are downsizing to a condo so today I was lucky to have a truck arrive with a few nice pieces of furniture. Lots of shuffling and reshuffling, a bit of back pain, and a whole bunch of places to sit around our house now!

I've never had a dog who enjoyed change so this wasn't a good day for our gang. BazingaDog fears change so he retreated to the carpet in the front hall and lay on his tummy with his chin on the ground, sad eyes looking up as if waiting to hear bad news. BulletDog, who is normally the shy one, stayed underfoot, as if hoping that she might be able to talk us out of it. Back in ThunderDog's day, she would just lie on whatever rug or piece of furniture you wanted to move.

Sunset ski around Palgrave West on another cold day. Some slow trailbreaking and some quick skiing on yesterday's tracks - for waxless backcountry skis, anyway. Squeaky snow, crisp air, pink-orange sky... magical.

A headlamp run at dusk on snowy, icy country roads. This was the first run in a long time where I didn't take walking breaks so we'll see how I feel later. At the time, it felt amazing. I'm trying to implement the concepts I've been working on in physio, although we haven't talked a lot about how to move from exercises to running. Some of the things I focused on - posture, strong core, shorter strides, weight on the inside of my foot, and pushing off from big toe.

News from this week's visit to the Salomon Toronto Store:

1) Snowcross have been sold out for awhile.
2) Summer trail running gear starts to arrive on March 1.
3) If you look around, you might find a small photo of me on the wall. (The caption *should* read: "One of our best customers".)
4) The store is closing down for about 5 weeks for major renovations - probably mid-March to late April. So if there's something you were planning to pick up for early spring training (shoes, Ambit, pack), try to get there over the next 6-7 weeks.

Beautiful, frigid winter day - perfect for a cruise around Palgrave West on skis. Conditions were relatively fast once I broke a trail (or skied on 'Bent's) although more big branches have come down in the recent wind and snow. Lots of interesting animal tracks - mostly coyote although I saw a couple of deer (actual deer as well as tracks). I was warm except that I forgot my windproof briefs - a mistake I won't be making again anytime soon!

Last night 'Bent and I watched a fascinating documentary, To The Rescue, on the status of search and rescue in Canada. (Only watchable within Canada.)

The Canadian military focuses on air and sea incidents, and our national parks implemented SAR programs after a 1955 avalanche killed 7 Scouts. But outside the parks, ground rescue is a patchwork quilt of systems across the country with heavy reliance on volunteers. I had no idea. I am now reading about the Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team (OVERT) . Maybe some day...? I'd need to update my first aid and CPR certifications first. They are holding orientation nights over the next week in the GTA (Ajax / Pickering) if anyone is interested.